Mysterious, deep, ancient forests. Coastal beaches and headlands. Alpine meadows with far-reaching views. Lakes and rivers, wetlands and surf. The Olympic Peninsula has a diverse range of habitats and areas to explore. You can research your next adventure to this wild corner of the country by using Craig Romano’s book, Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula. This is the Second Edition, with corrections and updates as conditions have changed.

Families will find a lot of choices to explore in this book. Many hikes are short and sweet, and suitable for even the youngest hikers. Some hikes even take place on boardwalks, such as the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Salmon Art Trail (Hike #8.) Each hike has an overall rating for how great the hike is (how the views are, how much bang for your buck, how beautiful it is) and another rating for how difficult it is. Craig points out trails that are specifically kid-friendly, and even where dogs are allowed or not allowed. You’ll find the driving directions are accurate and straightforward.

I haven’t explored very many part of the Olympic Peninsula yet, so I have a long list of spots I want to get to. This book is going to be an invaluable planning aid as I put together trips for next summer for our family. We’ve never been to the Staircase area, Wynoochee Lake, Hamma Hamma or Lena Lake, or much of the rugged coastline. I aim to remedy that next year; this book will be an important companion as we plan and explore. I know I’ll get up-to-date information about passes and permits, as well as which maps I need to buy and which trails are within our capabilities.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.